Acquisition
by BizzyLizzy
Summary: After the Touchstone is retrieved, Daniel and his new assistant run into some trouble. COMPLETED.
1. Part one

**__**

DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

SPOILER: Touchstone

****

Acquisition

Part one

Jack stormed into Hammond's office, barely waiting for a response to his knock on the door and flung himself into a chair.

'General, Daniel is supposed to be a member of my team - that means he should be available to go on our missions in a reasonable condition. He needs some help - we both know him by now, he'll work himself into the ground if this goes on much longer,' Jack raged. 'Daniel fell asleep in the middle of his watch and if it wasn't for Teal'c…' Jack shuddered at the thought of those vicious monkey creatures that would have seriously injured or killed them all had Teal'c not been alert.

'It's not really Daniel's fault, sir,' Jack avoided looking at Hammond at that point - they were both aware of the blistering verbal tirade the archaeologist would have received following this incident. 'So what are we going to do about it?' He demanded.

'Colonel, I agree with you,' Hammond glared at Jack to silence him. 'The archaeology department has been getting busier these last few months and Dr Jackson has already asked for an assistant. If he hadn't, I would have made sure he got one anyway. Dr Jackson is a valuable member of one of my best front line teams and I want to make sure he continues to be able to fulfil that role. Will that satisfy you Colonel?' Hammond concealed the smile that began to form on seeing Jack's expression.

'He has? Your would?' Jack was taken aback for a few moments, but in typical O'Neill fashion he soon recovered and continued with: 'Well why the hell didn't he say something before I…' Looking a little sheepish at the realisation that Daniel hadn't had chance to say anything, he decided to change tack. 'So, that's great. What will he be doing, exactly?'

'She,' Hammond emphasised this, 'will carry out most of the routine examinations and translations of artefacts prior to them being shipped to Nellis allowing Dr Jackson more time for other things - such as sleep.' Hammond grinned at Jack, dismissing him.

XOXOXOX

Daniel had stopped by to see how his new assistant was getting on after returning from a mission that had lasted rather longer than usual, wanting to see how she had fared in his absence. She'd been with him a month now and seemed to be shaping up nicely, although she was still coming to terms with the whole concept of the Stargate and that the vast majority of the artefacts they were studying were relatively recent.

'How's it going?' Daniel greeted her.

'Hey, Dr…Daniel,' Alison said, remembering the first rule Daniel had mentioned, informing her that he had no time for formalities between people who worked closely together. 'It's going well, actually. This tablet which we originally thought was a derivative of Latin is actually a combination of ancient Celtic, Hebrew and Egyptian.'

'You're kidding?' Daniel leant over Alison's shoulder, one hand gently tracing the markings on the tablet in front of her.

'There seemed something odd about it, and it did look so much like Latin but I've spent a lot of time on this and it suddenly hit me why I couldn't quite get the hang of it…Look…' As enthusiastic as Daniel, Alison excitedly pointed out the phrases that had helped her reach her conclusions.

'You're absolutely right - that's amazing.' Daniel stood up straight again, thrusting his hands into his pockets, looking thoughtful. 'So…does it say what we thought it might?'

'I'm not sure - we were making assumptions on what the eroded parts of the tablet said and I've got a feeling it may be something other than a religious artefact,' Alison paused, biting her bottom lip nervously. Daniel waited for her to continue, then realised they'd hit that brick wall again, the one he'd been working to break down. Alison didn't feel comfortable questioning his theories and he was still working on breaking down this barrier.

'Look, Alison, I know this has all been a bit of a shock - being landed with all this top secret stuff - but you're here because you're one of the best people around,' Daniel looked earnestly at her, noticing that she seemed a little uncomfortable at this praise coming from him. 'I'm just as capable of making mistakes as anyone, and I've got so much on my plate at the moment, I'm more than happy for you to point out anything I've missed. It's why you're here. I expect you to work on your own initiative, if you're not sure of something then ask, but you're smart enough to know when you're right about something and I'm wrong.'

'I know, Daniel, it's just…' Alison hesitated then decided she may as well say what was on her mind. 'I'm used to my own field, you know, and this is all so complex, nothing like I've ever come across and I can't help wondering sometimes if I'm heading in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, I love my work here, it just gets overwhelming at times - and I've only been here a month.'

'Don't I know it,' Daniel grinned at her reassuringly. 'You're doing a great job so far and if you carry on as you have been, you'll continue to do well. Just remember, nobody will ever get it right all the time and as long as you're ready to accept that and adapt to each situation as it arises, you'll get better as well. Now…'

'Oh yes. Well, I'm convinced that this is actually a set of instructions on how to use some kind of device. I don't suppose you brought anything else back with you did you?'

'No, sorry,' Daniel shook his head. 'The temple collapsed shortly after we retrieved the tablet and I didn't realise at the time that it might say something like this. I don't think we're ever going to find it. Anyway, can you let me know what you turn up? No hurry though,' Daniel smiled at her as he recognised a fellow workaholic about to settle in for the night. 'It's late - get yourself home. It'll still be here in the morning.'

Alison considered protesting but as a yawn overtook her, decided to take his advice and began tidying up and shutting her computer down.

'I'll walk with you to the elevator, I've got a couple of things I need to take care of…'

'So, Daniel, this is where you've got yourself to,' a familiar voice floated through the open door. 'Glad to hear you can give advice about going home even if you don't take it yourself. Fortunately for you, you have a guardian angel, actually, make that guardian Colonel.' Colonel O'Neill strolled into the room, looking distinctly uncomfortable among the alien artefacts lying around amidst open books and pages of notes.

'I'll just…' Alison tried to make herself appear inconspicuous and sidle out of the room without anyone noticing but the Colonel didn't miss anything - not even the sight of his team-mate's new assistant trying to make an escape or that said assistant seemed uncomfortable around most of the military members of the SGC.

'How you doing, Alison - Daniel not working you too hard is he?' Jack smiled at her warmly. Daniel spoke highly of his assistant and Jack was willing to make an effort with anyone who was able to lift some of the burden off Daniel's shoulders.

'Fine thanks, Colonel. I was just off home. I'll just…' Alison's voice trailed off as she once again tried to sidle out of the door, only to be prevented by the Colonel moving casually into her path.

'That's alright, we'll walk together - we were just leaving as well weren't we Daniel?' Jack glared at Daniel, daring him to challenge this.

'Actually Jack, I was just going…' Daniel's voice trailed off as Jack finished his sentence for him.

'To go home and get some sleep before our briefing in the morning.' Jack spoke with a finality that would be difficult to argue with and Alison took in the scene with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

'Did I say something funny?' Jack hadn't missed the look.

'Uh, no, well, actually,' Alison mumbled, her face red with embarrassment, 'well, it's just that you sound like my dad telling my brother off for staying out late on a school night and, well, anyway…'

'And anyway what?' Jack asked in a deceptively mild manner, arching an eyebrow quizzically.

'Well, er…you are older than Daniel and I guess the grey hair makes you look even older and well…' Alison blushed again as her voice trailed off.

'And you thought I sounded like Daniel's dad? Hey, you're not the first one to make that kind of comment, isn't that right son?' Jack looked at Daniel and ruffled the younger man's hair. 'Don't worry - I'm not offended. C'mon, let's follow the yellow brick road and head for Oz.' Ignoring the mystified looks on Alison's face, Jack led the way to the elevator, knowing that Daniel was trying to explain what he had just said.

'Don't worry about it,' he could hear Daniel whispering loudly enough to be heard. 'This kind of thing happens when you get old - you start reliving your childhood.' This was accompanied by some stifled laughing and he could see the two behind him relaxing in each other's company while he continued to ignore the apparent insult with what he felt was extreme dignity.


	2. Part two

**__**

DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the goa'uld and all other characters that have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Acquisition

Part two

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the water cleansing him, the warmth unknotting the tense muscles in his neck and shoulders. After the soap was rinsed away, he luxuriated in the feeling of being clean and allowed himself to relax before reluctantly shutting off the water and getting himself dressed. They'd just returned from successfully retrieving the Touchstone and he was looking forward to a couple of days of down time before SG1 went with General Hammond to seal the second Stargate, but he had one thing to do before leaving the mountain.

Alison's door was closed when he arrived at her office, which was unusual. Like his own, her door was normally open while she worked and he began to wonder if he'd left it too late, that maybe she'd already gone home. Then he heard voices. Tapping lightly on the door, he opened it and peered around, startled at the sight in front of him.

'What's going on?' He asked, his forehead creasing in puzzlement. Alison appeared to be bundling up all her notes on the tablet she'd been working on under the eagle eyes of two air force officers.

'Dr Jackson?' The captain asked. 'We've got orders from Nellis to transfer the tablet from P39 6SX along with any notes, with immediate effect.' He held out a sheaf of papers.

Daniel glanced through the papers, seeing they appeared to be in order except for one thing, and this, along with the mechanical way in which Alison was gathering her notes together set the alarm bells ringing in his head.

'General Hammond doesn't seem to have signed these yet - you'll need…' Daniel was backing towards the still open door as he spoke but before he could reach the safety of the hallway he found his arms pinned to his side and a hand across his mouth while the other man injected him with something that made his head feel delightfully light. 'I'm sorry - what was it you were after?' His mind was working sluggishly, screaming at him that this was all wrong even as his body obeyed the commands from the two officers.

XOXOXOX

'Anyone seen Daniel?' Jack asked Teal'c and Sam as they were finishing breakfast. They normally ate together when they were on base and it was unusual for Daniel to miss it completely.

'I have not,' Teal'c responded as he finished eating his plateful of sausage, eggs and pancakes.

'He wasn't in his office earlier,' Sam volunteered.

'Well, if he doesn't get here soon he's going to be late for the briefing,' Jack said. 'Speaking of which…'

They pushed back their chairs and headed out of the mess hall to make their way to the briefing room, fully expecting Daniel to already be there or to come rushing in out of breath and dropping bits of paper everywhere.

'Anyone know what he was planning on doing during his down time?' Jack asked, looking questioningly at the other members of SG1.

'As far as I was aware he was going to catch up on the latest archaeological journals,' Sam said.

'Great, a nice relaxing few days off then, should be ready to come back to work fully recharged,' Jack replied sarcastically, still finding it hard to believe that the two scientists on his team would prefer to work than take time out to relax.

'Where's Dr Jackson?' Hammond arrived at that point, prompting Sam and Jack to stand before he took his own seat.

'I don't know sir,' Jack spoke up. 'I think he's running a bit late.'

'We'll continue with the briefing, but I want all of SG1 ready to depart at 1300, is that understood Colonel?' Hammond sounded irritated. Understandably so, Jack thought to himself. They'd got him an assistant to take some of the pressure off and he was still unable to make it to a briefing on time.

XOXOXOX

'It's not like Daniel to just not turn up at all,' Sam sounded worried.

'Oh he probably got so caught up in his rocks that he forgot to go to bed - I'll bet he's sound asleep on his couch right at this moment,' Jack was doing his best to keep a grip on his temper. Now he'd have to spend the rest of the morning trying to track down the errant archaeologist and he could really do without this. He'd had the morning earmarked for finishing up some much loathed paperwork and General Hammond was already on his back because so many of his reports were long overdue.

'Daniel?' Jack peered into the gloom of Daniel's office, lit only by a small lamp in front of one of the bookcases. Jack snapped the overhead light on and took a better look, seeing no sign that anyone had been in the room recently. Jack picked up the telephone and dialled Daniel's apartment. The phone rang for a long time before the answering machine eventually kicked in and Jack hung up, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he considered his next move, wondering if Daniel's assistant had seen him that morning.

He headed down the hall and arrived at Alison's office, finding it unoccupied as well. He took a quick look around, noting it to be remarkably clear of clutter considering how it had looked the last time he had stopped by, then headed for the security checkpoint to find out when either of them had last been in.

'Looks like they both signed out two days ago and neither has signed in since,' the guard on duty informed Jack. Jack kept his thoughts to himself, wondering if maybe the two of them had more than a professional relationship going. 'If you don't mind waiting sir, I think Lieutenant Phillips was on duty then, I'll get him up here.'

Jack rocked backwards and forwards on his feet while he impatiently waited for the arrival of the Lieutenant, cursing the length of time it took for the elevators to work around here.

'Colonel?' A voice spoke behind him. 'Can I help you with something?'

'Phillips,' Jack greeted the new arrival. 'You were on duty two days ago when Dr Jackson and Dr Trethewey left?'

'Yes sir,' Phillips replied smartly. 'They left together with a couple of officers from the Pentagon. Let me see,' Phillips checked the logbook before returning to Jack. 'A Captain Starsky and a Major Hutch.'

Jack cursed silently under his breath as he realised what this probably meant. 'Phillips, I need you to recall the security tapes for the whole of that day and have them sent to the briefing room. And I want them yesterday,' Jack snapped as he turned around and headed back down into the bowels of the mountain, collecting Sam and Teal'c as he went.

'What's the problem sir?' Sam asked, trying to understand from Jack's demeanour what had happened to make him so uptight.

'Daniel and his new assistant left here together two days ago - in the company of Captain Starsky and Major Hutch.'

'And…?' Sam asked, not quite understanding where this was going.

'Didn't you ever watch cop shows back in the seventies?' Jack asked in exasperation.

'Well…' Sam began, then was stopped by Jack speaking again.

'No - don't answer that one, but surely you must have heard of Starsky and Hutch?' Jack looked at the two blank faces in front of him, beginning to feel his age. True, Teal'c was nearly twice his age, but he could easily have passed for being a lot younger than himself. 'It was a TV show and they were the main characters. I think it highly dubious that two air force officers from the Pentagon should share their names, especially as there is no trace of either Daniel or Alison.'

'Couldn't it be a coincidence sir?' Sam asked, not wanting to believe anything could have happened. 'I mean, if Daniel's not at home, maybe they're at Alison's place - it's at least a possibility isn't it?'

'Ye-es,' Jack conceded just as they reached the briefing room where they were greeted by General Hammond.

'Colonel O'Neill, I'm glad you're here,' Hammond jumped straight to the point. 'I think we've got a problem.'

'You're telling me, General,' Jack responded. 'That's what I've just been trying to convince Carter.'

'How on earth can you possibly know - I've only just found out myself,' Hammond sounded surprised.

'Well I tried to call him but there was no response, then when I went to check if his assistant had seen him, there was no sign of her. I've just come back from the security checkpoint and they're sending the security tapes down here, sir.' Jack brought the General up to speed in a rather incomprehensible rush of words.

'I'm not sure what you know, Colonel,' Hammond was all business now, 'but it seems like the second Stargate has been activated again. I've just received a report that some visitors from the Pentagon managed to overpower the guards there long enough to dial it up and go through. No-one has any idea where they might have gone.'

'I think I might be able to shed some light on this, sir,' Jack interrupted the General. 'Security report that Daniel and Alison Trethewey left together two days ago in the company of Captain Starsky and Major Hutch from the Pentagon. They're sending down the security tapes for that day. Should be here any minute.'

'So what you're saying…' Hammond said, before being interrupted.

'Is that Daniel and his assistant have been abducted from under our noses for some reason,' Sam finished off, having grasped the situation now.

'Right.' Jack agreed, just as an airman arrived with a handful of tapes. 'Great - anyone brought popcorn? Soda?' Jack was saying as he started playing the first tape.

They fast-forwarded through several innocuous tapes until even Jack was ready to give up when they at last found what they needed. The tape showed them images of Daniel and Alison being escorted by two faceless individuals. The two men had taken great care to make sure their faces wouldn't show up on the security cameras. They weren't quite so successful at the desk on the main level where there were a number of cameras situated and it was impossible to avoid all of them.

'Well, that was enlightening.' Jack threw in as he paused the tape.

'They don't seem to be aware of what's happening,' Sam rewound the tape a few frames then set it to play again. 'Just there, Alison seems to be heading straight on but those guys want to take a left, they whisper something, she looks at them blankly then changes direction. That seems a little odd.'

'The whole situation is odd, Carter. The question is - what now?' Jack turned to Hammond.

'I don't even know where to start on this one. At least when we tracked the 'gate down we had something to go on, but we're starting with a blank here.' Hammond looked at those present, inviting suggestions and options.

'Maybe we should try to find out what Alison was working on - it seems likely that whatever they were after, they must think she can help them in some way, and if you look here,' Sam rewound the tape a couple of frames, 'it looks like Daniel walked in on them clearing Alison's office. It's somewhere to start anyway.'

'Very well.' Hammond said. 'Colonel, I want you to find out what you can about these two men, what their names are, where they're from and where they might have gone.' Hammond instructed Jack, his face grave. 'I'm afraid you won't turn anything up, but we've got to try.'


	3. Part three

**__**

DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the goa'uld and all other characters that have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

****

Acquisition

Part three

'Got anything Carter?' Jack asked in desperation. His own investigations had turned up nothing, it was as if Starsky and Hutch - the ones that had turned up at the SGC - had never existed. He'd already made several visits to Alison's office where Sam was working until she had threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't get out of her hair.

'As a matter of fact…' Sam turned her attention back to the computer screen for a few moments then looked up at her CO. 'It looks like Dr Trethewey was working on that tablet we found in the temple on P39 6SX. According to her notes, Daniel thought it was a historical record but Alison figured out that it was actually a set of instructions for operating some kind of device.'

'I thought all her notes had gone?' Jack asked.

'The hard copies and discs are, yes, but I retrieved the temporary files from her computer. It looks like she made some progress while we were on our last mission. Just a moment,' Sam broke off as she scrolled to the end of the notes before looking at Jack, concern in her eyes. 'She thinks it's a weapon and that the tablet tells you how to operate it. Sir, if the NID managed to find this out, that's where they must have gone. They have access to all our reports and would know we only brought back the tablet, they must have taken their chance to get through the 'gate before we sealed it up.'

Jack considered this for a moment before speaking again. 'If the NID think there is a weapon on P-thingy, then they'll do their best to retrieve it. They've also taken Daniel and his assistant, the tablet and all the notes so it looks like they need help to work it. I guess our next step is a return visit to the planet.' Jack sighed, not liking where this was going at all. He knew the NID were unscrupulous and had no qualms at injuring or killing others in order to achieve their own goals.

An hour later, the mission had been cleared with General Hammond and SG1 and SG2 were geared up and walking up the ramp towards the open gate.

XOXOXOX

Daniel was vaguely aware of being in a car, then of being strapped into an airplane seat. After that he must have fallen asleep as the next thing he knew he was being shoved roughly into a cold stone room with the only objects a sleeping bag and a crude latrine in the corner. Shivering with cold and still feeling too groggy to figure out what was going on, he crawled into the sleeping bag fully dressed and closed his eyes, willing the room to stop swimming around, which it eventually did when he lost consciousness.

Several hours later Daniel could feel hands shaking him roughly, pulling him out his sleeping bag and forcing him to sit up. A cup of water and a plate was thrust into his hands and he was left alone once more. Putting the cup and plate to one side, he stood up carefully, fighting the feeling of dizziness that swept over him again, steadying himself against one of the walls. Allowing his body time to adjust, he took a look around.

The room was constructed of roughly hewn stone; it was a small room around three metres square. There were no windows, the only source of light was filtering through the barred opening of the wooden door. Moving to the door he could make out a corridor with other doors leading off it and windows set high on the wall opposite the doors but could see no sign of anyone else. Trying the door handle, he was not surprised to find that although the handle turned the door would not open, realising on looking down that there were a couple of bolts keeping the door closed - one right at the top of the door, the other about two-thirds of the way down with no way of reaching them through the bars of the door. Grasping the bars firmly in his hands he shook them as hard as possible but could feel no movement.

Frustrated at the situation he found himself in, Daniel's thoughts turned to Alison, who he could vaguely recall being dragged along on this little field trip with him. Taking a good look to either side of the hallway and seeing no one around, he hissed loudly 'Alison! Are you there? Alison? It's Daniel.' He paused, listening carefully but could hear nothing and hoped he had been mistaken in thinking she had been brought along. What if she was here, though, but not a prisoner like he was? Maybe this was all some elaborate set up designed to get some information from him. Damn! He cursed to himself. He'd been around Jack too long and was beginning to look for the worst in everyone.

He turned and paced up and down the room for a while, then figured he was helping nobody by doing this, so forced himself to sit down, to eat the food he'd been brought and slowly sip the water, conserving his energy, waiting for his chance to act.

Hours passed and no one had come near him but as his senses adjusted he could make out voices talking faintly from somewhere further down the corridor. Eventually, just as the light started to fade, a door at the far end of the corridor opened. Daniel scrambled to his feet and hurried to peer out of the window in the door.

Two men dressed in standard issue combat gear were coming down the hallway, supporting a third figure between them, a figure that looked decidedly the worse for wear.

'Alison!' Daniel called as they passed his door, earning himself a glare from the guards for his troubles, it also got him a glance from Alison, looking at him from the corner of her eye, an eye that was already beginning to swell shut. He could also see that her nose had recently stopped bleeding. There was no time for anything else, the door to the room next to Daniel's was opened and he could hear a faint thud as Alison was flung without ceremony on to the floor.

Once the coast was clear Daniel called out once more, but received no response. He listened and heard the sounds of muffled sobs which eventually faded away and he realised Alison must have fallen asleep. Figuring that he may as well follow her example, Daniel curled himself up and was soon asleep.

XOXOXOX

Daniel could have sworn he'd only been asleep for five minutes when he felt someone prodding him with a foot.

'Come on, time to get up and earn your keep. Come on.' It was one of the guards he'd seen last night, the words accompanied by a kick on his arm making him to roll away with a hiss of pain. 'If you don't want any more of that, you'd better look lively.'

Daniel stood up hurriedly and immediately found his arm held securely by the guard, a zat gun pointing right at him. He was led out of the cell and into another room at the end of the corridor.

This room was larger than the one he had been kept in and had a window set into the wall that allowed natural light to filter through. There was furniture here as well, basic, but serviceable. Five men and a woman were scattered around the room. His escort thrust him into a chair opposite one of the men and took up his own position just behind him and to one side.

'Well, Dr Jackson, it's nice to meet you at last. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jonas. I trust you are feeling well rested?' Daniel glared at him as he realised this was the second lunatic he'd met called Jonas. 'Well, no matter. Now, that tablet you had Dr Trethewey working on is of considerable interest to us. We weren't able to keep the Touchstone from Madrona but we think that the artefact this tablet refers to is of far greater importance than some weather control device.'

Daniel must have looked surprised at how much he seemed to know about the tablet because Jonas went on to speak about it further. 'Lieutenant Jones here happened to be outside Dr Trethewey's office the other day when you were discussing the tablet and took the liberty of reading her notes. It wasn't easy, I may add, he had a lot of trouble trying to read her writing. You know, for someone who is an expert in ancient languages, I would have thought her writing would be a bit better. Still, that's not important now. What is important is that we know enough to want that artefact and you're going to help us get it. Where can we find it?' He barked the question out.

'You haven't got a chance of finding it, and besides, the tablet was incomplete and I'm not even sure if we got the translation right. It wouldn't do you any good at all,' Daniel replied, feeling nothing but contempt for these people having seen what had nearly happened to the people of Madrona.

'That is not what I want to hear. Now I'm going to ask again - where is the weapon?'

Daniel glared at his questioner, refusing to answer. A sharp blow to his face that nearly knocked him off his chair achieved nothing more than another glare and still no answer.

'Well, if you won't co-operate, perhaps Dr Trethewey will be more willing than she was yesterday.' Jonas smiled coldly at Daniel. Daniel began to protest, wanting to save Alison from any more of this, realising what Alison had already been through at the hands of this madman whose eyes glinted with a hint of maniacal obsession, but his protests fell on deaf ears and he could do nothing but watch helplessly as Alison was brought in and placed in another chair.

'You can't do this!' Daniel yelled at Jonas. 'I'll tell you what I know.'

'I'm sorry, you had your chance, let's see if I have better luck with your assistant.' Jonas stood in front of Alison and began his questioning. 'Where can we find the weapon?' He asked again, and again and again. Each time she hesitated or tried to say something he didn't want to hear, she received a blow to her face until frustration seemed to get the better of him and he raised his fist, hitting her with as much force as he could put into it, knocking her off her chair.

Daniel tried to get up to go to her, but found himself restrained by two of the guards and all he could do was watch as Alison lay there stunned, seeing blood trickling from the side of her mouth, shaking her head as if to clear it. He could also see her wrist beginning to swell, the one she had landed heavily on, and he hoped nothing had broken.

'You didn't have to do that!' Daniel snapped fiercely, trying to draw attention away from Alison, to save her from any more of this punishment. 'I told you I would tell you what you wanted.'

'Don't worry, Dr Jackson,' Jonas said. 'You will help us. Tomorrow. Now. Is there anything you want to tell me?' Jonas returned his attention to Alison, his voice calm, as though he hadn't just knocked her off her chair in anger. Alison searched for something to tell him, anything to stop him from hitting her again and she remembered something else that Daniel had told her.

'Daniel - Dr Jackson said they didn't have chance to recover anything else from the temple before it collapsed. It must be buried there somewhere.' Alison, her head drooping down as though her neck could no longer support it, glanced up at Jonas, saw him considering her words and move towards her again. He lifted his arm and she cowered away, but instead of the expected blow, she could feel his hand patting her shoulder that made her almost wish he had hit her again; if anything this was worse than the blows she had received earlier.

Daniel could see the revulsion in Alison's face and wished there was something, anything he could do. Instead he found himself being propelled along behind Alison and thrown back into his cell, unable to help her. Daniel flung himself down on his sleeping bag, his mind working desperately to figure out what they could do. Hopefully SG1 would already be on their trail, but knowing they'd had two days of downtime before anyone would even realise he was missing, he wasn't expecting the cavalry any time soon. That meant he had to figure a way to get them both out. Unfortunately, being locked in this cell wasn't exactly affording him many opportunities. Hearing a small movement from next door, Daniel was on his feet and at his own door in no time.

'Daniel?' He could hear his name being whispered.

'Alison?' Daniel called back softly. 'Are you alright?' He could hear a snort, whether of laughter or pain he wasn't sure.

'What do you think?' Alison snapped back, then Daniel could hear her sigh. 'Sorry. I think my wrist is broken but apart from that I've just got a load of cuts and bruises. What's going on? Where are we?'

'We must be on P39 6XS, where I found the tablet you were working on,' Daniel replied. 'I'm guessing we were brought through the second 'gate before General Hammond had chance to seal it.'

'How are we going to get home?' Alison asked.

'Well, we'll be missed some time soon and Jack and the others will come after us any time now,' Daniel tried to sound positive, the role Jack normally played when SG1 had been captured and working out how to escape. He was finding it difficult, having to be the one in charge and began to appreciate something of what Jack went through every time they stepped through the 'gate. 'In the meantime, I guess we just tell them what we can…' Daniel's voice trailed off, his unspoken concerns picked up by Alison.

'But you don't think that's going to help us because we don't know anything to help them.' Daniel could hear the catch in Alison's voice.

'It's going to be alright - we'll be out of here in no time, you'll see.' Daniel tried to sound as though he believed what he was saying and figured it must have worked.

'Well, I guess we better get some rest then, ready for our big day tomorrow. Good night.' Alison said

'Night,' Daniel replied and soon silence fell.


	4. Part four

**__**

DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the goa'uld and all other characters that have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Acquisition

Part four

Alison had just drifted off to sleep when the sound of the bolts being pulled back on the door brought her back to reality. She heard footsteps moving quietly toward her, someone kneeling down beside her and the zip of the sleeping bag being opened. She could feel a hand on her cheek, light and caressing, but it sent shivers of fear down her spine as she realised how completely helpless she was. The hand moved down to her shoulder, the fingers moving in a massaging motion and she could feel a mouth near her ear, the warmth of breath against her cheek.

'Shouldn't leave a pretty thing like you all alone now should we? Pretty things are there to be played with, not shut up in the dark and forgotten about.'

She could feel him nuzzling her ear, her shoulder, then she realised the hand had moved from her shoulder and had started to move down her chest, the fingers lightly tracing the swell of her breasts beneath her shirt, fumbling with the buttons. Alison had been frozen with fear until that point but suddenly anger surged through her - how dare he? She'd been abducted and brought here against her will, been knocked around because she couldn't answer their questions and now this? Biting down hard on the part of him nearest to her - the lower part of his ear that was near her shoulder - he let out a yelp of pain.

Now he was distracted, Alison lashed out and made contact with the soft part of his stomach, winding him. As she untangled herself from her sleeping bag and the arms that had been trying to grab at her, she stumbled towards the open door, nearly making it when she felt those arms grab her around the legs, bringing her crashing down to the floor, where she lay stunned and unable to move for a moment. Desperately fighting for control of herself, to protect herself, she realised she was safe for now at least as she heard the door clang shut and could hear the bolts being closed.

'Well, there's plenty of time yet. Sleep well.' The voice spoke quietly, with a hint of amusement, and then she was alone again.

She curled up where she lay, holding her wrist close to her to try to reduce the pain that the unexpected movement had triggered. She wiped her face, not surprised to find tears there and she allowed herself to give in to a moment of weakness, to try to forget about what had nearly happened.

XOXOXOX

Daniel hadn't slept too well and was awake when they came for him the next day. He'd heard a disturbance in the room next door and could only imagine what was going on, thankful that there hadn't been enough time for anything too serious to happen. He'd tried to find out if Alison was alright but she hadn't responded to him, whether because she couldn't hear him or just couldn't face him.

He was led outside this time, to the ruins of the temple he'd visited with SG1, before the building had collapsed. It looked even worse now, the few remaining walls that had been standing when they'd left had now come down and there was nothing left but a heap of rubble. He put an arm up to protect his eyes from the bright light and saw that Alison had already been brought out and was standing in front of Jonas.

'Good morning, my pretty,' Jonas greeted Alison, and Daniel could see her shiver in spite of the heat of the day. 'I need you to tell me what the weapon looks like. How big is it? What shape is it? What would have been its location in the temple?' He fired the questions at her, staring at her, his eyes demanding answers while his mouth was fixed in a sickly sweet smile.

'She doesn't know,' Daniel called out, trying to make himself heard, to protect Alison from any further punishment. 'She wasn't here. If you want information, I'm the one to provide it.' Daniel received a blow to the side of his head, making his ears ring for a few moments before he realised Jonas had ignored his interruption and was continuing to torment Alison.

'I don't know,' Alison said simply, wearily.

Daniel watched as Jonas took a step closer to Alison, formed his hand into a fist, then allowed his arm to drop back to his side. Alison had tensed, expecting a blow of some kind. When she realised it wasn't coming - this time - she only allowed herself to relax slightly.

'Let me try again.' Jonas smiled pleasantly at her, a smile that did nothing to reassure her. Suddenly his face changed again and he took a step closer, then another until he was standing barely inches away from her. He towered over her threateningly and spoke in a hard voice. 'I want you to tell me where we can find the weapon.'

Alison shook her head, attempting to take a step backward but Jonas was too close, he balled his hand into a fist and struck her on the side of her face, making her stumble over some debris immediately behind her. Landing awkwardly as she tried to prevent any more damage to her already injured wrist, her head hit the ground hard. For a few minutes the world span in crazy circles with black spots swimming in front of her eyes and she was afraid she was about to pass out. The feeling passed and she lay there half curled up, hearing Daniel's voice shouting out, distracting Jonas.

'You don't have to do this!' Daniel yelled, desperately trying to draw attention towards himself. With a sudden movement, he freed himself from his captors and moved towards Jonas only to be recaptured and held more firmly this time while he received a blow to his stomach for his troubles. Even then, Daniel managed to gasp out 'I can tell you what you need to know. The tablet was found…' Another blow to his stomach and one to his head put Daniel out of action and all he could do was watch Jonas waiting for a response from Alison who was struggling to get to her feet. She brought herself to a sitting position and was half way up when more questions were fired at her.

'Where is the weapon?' Bang - she was lying on her back as his fist made contact with her head again.

'How big is it?' Her breath hissed out as his boot kicked her in the ribs.

'What does it look like?' Another kick, this time on her back.

The questions continued for several more minutes. Each time she responded in the negative she received further punishment, the only thing that kept her from giving up completely was the sound of Daniel yelling at Jonas: 'You don't need to do that, I can help you.' Eventually she heard Daniel's pleas change tactics, trying to distract Jonas's attention. 'Does it make you feel good to beat up a woman, someone who can't fight back?' Daniel was taunting him now. 'Why don't you pick on someone your own size. You're nothing but an overgrown bully. There's no need to carry on with this when I can tell you everything you want to know. Why don't you just let me.'

Something had changed. Alison lay with her arms hugging herself and realised the kicking had stopped and someone was beside her, two someones rolling her over and helping her to her feet, grasping her arms firmly, partly to support her, partly to keep her from trying anything.

If only they knew Alison thought grimly to herself as she focussed on putting one foot in front of the other. I doubt if I would make it back without help. She was vaguely aware of Jonas taking a couple of well-aimed kicks at Daniel, but was back inside the building before she could see what else was happening.

XOXOXOX

Daniel fared much better than Alison had. Other than a few kicks that would undoubtedly leave some nice bruises, he was relatively ok physically. Jonas obviously had a better understanding of human nature than he would have thought: seeing Alison treated in that way had made Daniel desperate to do anything to save her from anything else and once she was returned to the building, Daniel told them everything he could, although he knew it would not help them much. Nevertheless, they'd made him bear the brunt of the work for the day, presenting him with a shovel and ordering him to dig where he said the weapon should be.

He'd worked through the heat of the day with no food, no water and no rest. He could feel the sweat pouring off him, his muscles protesting at the labour they were being forced to carry out and his mouth and throat were parched. Still he kept going, hoping that providing he did his bit, Alison would be left alone. All the time his mind was working, trying to figure out how he could get them both away. He had no intention of leaving without her, fearing for her if he were to leave her even for a short time to go and fetch help. As it began to get dark, he was escorted back to the building and returned to his room, where a tray of food and a cup of water were thrust in after him. Gratefully gulping down what had been provided, he closed his eyes for a moment and fell asleep instantly in exhaustion.

XOXOXOX

Alison awoke to feel a hand on her stomach and the feeling of stubble on her face, rubbing over her cheek as a mouth tried to cover hers. Turning her head to one side she could hear him chuckling at her defiance as he concentrated on moving his hand towards the waist band of her pants, a finger moving from one side of her waist to the other, just underneath the band. She seemed frozen, like a rabbit caught in the headlamps of a car, unable to move. Until his mouth tried to find hers again, the roughness of his unshaven skin against hers broke the hold he seemed to have over her, and she brought her knees up to her chest and rolled towards him, kicking out as she did so, trying to push him as far away from herself as possible.

She could feel the atmosphere change in that moment. Before, she could sense a kind of amusement at her fear and inability to move, now she felt malice and could imagine his face changing, distorting with rage. She could feel him get to his feet, muttering under his breath as he did so, heard a whisper of air moving before she felt his foot connect with her stomach, snatching her breath away. The foot withdrew again and she knew he was crouching beside her. She felt something cold and hard against her throat - a knife from the feel of it. The pressure at her throat increased until she could feel a trickle of warm liquid making its way towards the hollow at the base of her throat.

Suddenly the knife was gone and he was at the door of the room. Alison became aware of voices calling out in alarm, footsteps running towards them.

'SG1 have come through the 'gate, about half an hour ago. They've set up camp half a mile from the temple, I think they're waiting for dawn before they make a move.'

'Damn - how did they find us so quickly?' Jonas turned back to Alison. 'What did you do - you left them a message didn't you? What did you do?' He aimed a couple of kicks at her, one to her head, the other to her arm. He was prevented from doing anything more by a hand restraining him.

'We need to leave now, Jonas,' the voice was speaking firmly. 'We can skirt around the temple from the other side and be ready to dial out the moment SG1 have moved on. We have to go - the sun rises in less than an hour…'

Jonas roughly hauled Alison to her feet and pushed her at one of the men, calling out for someone to get Daniel and barking out commands for the evacuation of their position.


	5. Part five

**__**

DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the goa'uld and all other characters that have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Acquisition

Part five

Jack had ordered his team to position themselves a short distance from the 'gate, leaving SG2 to watch the 'gate itself.

'But we need to maintain a close watch on what goes on - if it were me, I'd have someone watching the gate ready to report back to base. Their only means of escape is through this gate but I don't want to scare them into doing anything stupid - we're going to get them back in one piece.'

And so they waited for nearly an hour. Teal'c silently approached Jack, receiving a nod from the Colonel to indicate that he too had seen movement. They waited a little longer until the shadows solidified into trees and the ruins of the temple. Getting to his feet, Jack searched the temple ruins with Sam while Teal'c looked a little further afield. While they were looking the sound of muffled cries alerted them.

Taking cover, they made their way silently towards the source of the disturbance, watching what was going on.

A struggle was going on, two men were trying to hold Daniel still, while the man who'd pretended to be Major Hutch kept a firm grip on a dishevelled figure who was also trying to free herself. Daniel, surprising both his captors and Jack, managed to free himself, snatching a zat gun from one of the guards and quickly neutralised them. Major Hutch grabbed his own zat gun and now had it jammed against Alison's head, succeeding in shutting her up and halting Daniel in his tracks. Deciding it was time they lent a hand, Jack motioned for Sam and Teal'c to show themselves.

'Hey!' Jack called out, startling the group in front of them. 'Put the guns down and put your hands in the air.' The response wasn't quite what he expected. Three people immediately took flight, running as hard as they could in the direction of the 'gate, surprising SG2 by the sounds of it. He could hear the gate activating and he half-listened as his radio crackled into life and Ferretti spoke a few words, but he had no time to worry about that. He still had the hardest part to take care of.

Then his job became that much easier - the two men Daniel had shot began to come to and Alison used her captor's momentary distraction to bite down hard on the hand holding the zat. That was all Jack needed. Yelling at Alison to get down, he fired off a single shot, taking the man in the shoulder, disabling him. Watching him warily all the time, Jack approached Alison and held out a hand to help her up. She looked at him for a moment as though she were afraid of him, then he saw her eyes clear and she took his hand, climbing stiffly to her feet. His eyes took in the stiffness of her movements, the way she favoured her left arm and tried to avoid twisting. He also saw the bruises on her face and a crust of dried blood on the side of her head.

Daniel moved up to join Jack, obscuring his view of what was happening behind him.

'Look out, sir!' The warning came just in time. The man he'd shot in the shoulder was not so badly injured as he thought and was on his knees, aiming a gun at Alison, his trigger finger already moving.

Jack threw himself at Alison, knocking her off her feet so she fell backwards, landing heavily with Jack's full weight on top of her just as a bullet whistled past them, stopped by a tree instead of Alison's back. A bolt of light from Teal'c's staff weapon flashed past and hit Jonas squarely in the chest. He dropped to his knees, a surprised look on his face before he slumped forward. Teal'c, ensuring he was dead, moved to stand guard over the other two men, securing their hands behind them and waiting for further instructions.

Alison lay still for a few moments, stunned by what had just taken place. Then she could feel the weight on top of her moving slightly, trying to ease off her, warm breath on the side of her face where his mouth was. She panicked. All she could think of were the memories of the last two nights and she lashed out even as Jack rolled off her, the heel of her hand crashing into his nose with more strength than she knew she possessed.

'What the…?' Jack cupped his hands over his nose, trying to stem the bleeding even as he got to his knees and tried to find out what had just happened. 'What was that for?' Jack asked, receiving no response, watching as Alison sat up and shuffled away from him, her eyes dilated with fear. 'Alison?' He spoke more gently, one hand reaching out, but only succeeding in making her back further away.

Daniel moved forward to help, but also without success. It wasn't until Sam shooed the others away, telling Daniel to treat Jack's bleeding nose, that Alison calmed down.

'Alison? It's Sam - Captain Carter. It's ok, you're safe now.' Sam spoke soothingly to her, crouching beside her, touching her lightly on her arm, realising that something else must have happened while she was being held captive.

'Captain Carter? Oh, god, I…I…'

'It's ok, it's alright, we're here to take you home.' Alison dissolved into tears, her shoulders drooping as she realised she was indeed safe, coupled with the shock of what she had gone through. Sam sat beside Alison, putting a comforting arm around her, reassuring her. At last the tears eased and she turned to Sam.

'I'm sorry. I…It…'

'Alison, did anything happen back there?' Sam asked gently, needing to find out exactly what had gone on.

'Not really. He tried…tried to…but…it was awful…he was there but I struggled…but he had a knife…then they got the message you had arrived - luckily for me - and they brought us out with them to try to get through the gate.' Alison stumbled over the words, shivering as she recalled events, then looked wildly around. 'Daniel? Where is he? Is he ok?'

'He's just checking out Colonel O'Neill - that was quite a punch you pulled there,' Sam grinned at her reassuringly, letting her know that none of them would take her actions personally. 'Are you injured at all? Can you walk?'

Alison nodded that she was alright and Sam helped her up, supporting her when she swayed and looked to be in danger of falling over.

'Whoa there,' Sam said as she realised that all was not well, easing Alison to a sitting position, her back against a tree for support. 'Ok, let's see what we've got here.' Sam checked Alison over, spotting the injured wrist in an instant. 'Guys, can you just go over there for a minute while I finish checking Alison?' Sam lifted Alison's shirt away and winced at the bruises forming on her stomach and on her chest. Gently probing the bruised areas with her fingers she was able to determine that nothing seemed to be broken and there wasn't any internal bleeding. She repeated the process on Alison's back, coming to the same conclusion. She finished up by cleaning the worst of the cuts on Alison's face and dressing the gash on her forehead, smiling sympathetically when she saw Alison wince as she applied the antiseptic ointment.

Sam sat back on her heels, helping Alison make herself decent again. As an afterthought, on noticing her shivering in spite of the warmth of the sun, Sam felt Alison's forehead and realised she had a fever.

'Colonel, we're ready to go,' Sam reported. 'How's Daniel?'

'Jack - will you stop being such a baby - the bleeding's stopped now and there's nothing wrong with you,' Daniel sounded exasperated.

'That's all very well for you to say, Daniel, you don't have a broken nose,' Jack replied, sounding sorry for himself.

'And neither do you. It's no wonder Janet tries to get you out of the infirmary as quickly as she does if you whine like this all the time,' Daniel retorted.

'I am not whining, I'm injured and I'm in pain. Oh, hi.' Jack sounded sheepish as he became aware of the two women watching the scene. 'Anything I need to know about Captain?' He kept his tone light, not wanting to probe too deeply at the moment.

'Not really, sir. I think Alison's left wrist is broken but I've bandaged that, she has a nasty cut on her head and a bit of a temperature and she's got a load of bruises but she should be ok until we get her back to Dr Fraiser.' Sam reported. 'Daniel?'

'Oh, I'm fine,' Daniel grimaced slightly, almost apologetically, ashamed he had got off so lightly while Alison had been used as a punch bag. 'Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing serious though.'

'Excellent!' Jack got to his feet and began putting his pack back on. 'Well, I can't see any reason to stay around here any longer - we'll head on back home. SG2 went after the three who got through the 'gate, they were going to signal General Hammond when they arrived and got things sorted out. Everyone ready?' Jack looked at Alison, receiving a small smile back for his efforts, thankful that she was not going to try to break his nose again.

They made their way back to the 'gate, keeping the pace steady to allow for Alison's injuries. Alison was walking between Sam and Daniel, Jack leading the way while Teal'c walked in the middle of the group keeping a close watch on the two captives.

'Daniel - you want to dial it up?' Jack said, watching Daniel press the correct symbols before hitting the central control crystal. The symbols were all alight but nothing happened.

Daniel tried again, then Sam tried but still nothing was happening.

'Daniel? Carter?' Jack asked in a quiet, undemanding voice.

'I don't know sir, it should be working.' Even as she responded to Jack, she was examining the panels beneath the DHD, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. After a few minutes she called Teal'c over to assist. Half an hour later the Colonel began tapping his foot impatiently, just as Sam approached him.

'It looks like they booby-trapped the device, sir,' Sam informed him. 'Probably just in case we saw the co-ordinates they gated to. I think they used…'

'What did you do?' Jack turned on their captives who were sitting to one side of the DHD looking smug. When he received no reply, he moved closer towards them, fingering the safety on his P-90 ominously. The two captives began to look nervous having heard of the reputation of the leader of SG1. They looked at each other, deciding whether to respond when Sam interrupted this silent interchange.

'Sir - I've got it figured now but it'll take some time to fix.'

'How much time?' Jack asked, trying to remain calm and in control. He'd a bad day and it looked like it wasn't going to get better any time soon.

'About four or five hours I'd say,' Sam informed him before her attention was caught by a light flickering in the sky followed closely by a long, low rumble. 'Sir, this could complicate things, if it's anything like the last storm we encountered here.' SG1 recalled the wildness of the storm, the lashing rain, the strong gusts of wind and the bolts of lightning that made contact with the ground at all too regular intervals.

'Ok.' Jack looked thoughtfully at Alison, standing there watching what was happening, her face flushed with a worsening fever. 'Daniel, you take Alison to that building alongside the temple. Carter, I want you and Teal'c to make a start here until the storm gets closer. I want you to join us before things get too bad - is that clear?' He glared at Sam, knowing that she would continue working in spite of the danger to herself, but also knew that Teal'c would ensure she got to safety if she did allow herself to get carried away.

'Sir.' Sam was already pulling out wires from the DHD, and talking rapidly to Teal'c, giving him instructions.

Jack scrabbled around in Sam's pack, pulled out a couple of items and stuffed them into his own before turning to the two captives, urging them to their feet to follow Daniel and Alison.

They were about half way to safety when a bright flash and a loud crack indicated the storm was right on top of them. Momentarily blinded by the lightning, Jack suddenly realised the two captives had escaped. Looking desperately around, knowing how dangerous it could be to be out in this weather, he finally spotted them making their way into a nearby wooded area.

'No!' Jack yelled after them, trying to warn them, but his voice was drowned by the next rumble of thunder that had accompanied a flash of lightning immediately over the trees. He caught a brief glimpse of a white ball of flame surrounding two figures, their dying screams drowned by the thunder. After only a few minutes there was nothing left but two sets of unrecognisable charred remains. Jack swallowed down the bile rising in his throat and turned to the two people under his command who he could help, thankful when he saw Daniel had continued to urge Alison in the direction of the building and had not witnessed the horrific death of those two men.


	6. Part six

****

DISCLAIMER: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the goa'uld and all other characters that have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Acquisition

Part six

Jack hurried to catch up with Daniel and Alison, reaching the safety of the building just after the skies opened and big, fat drops of rain fell to the ground, soaking them in the short time it took them to dash inside. It wasn't yet the vicious, stinging rain - that would follow in another hour or so, along with the gale-force winds.

Jack quickly scouted through the building, coming up with nothing useful and led them into the largest of the rooms available, the room that had been used for the interrogation. The chairs were still there, lying on their sides as though kicked out of the way as someone hurried to leave.

'Well, this is cosy,' Jack said, moving towards a fireplace to one side of the room. He peered up the chimney to make sure it was clear, then set about breaking up the chairs for firewood and passing the pieces to Daniel who was in the process of lighting the fire. Glancing in Alison's direction he saw her standing just inside the doorway, leaning against the wall for support and shivering. Jack put down the chair he was about to break up and in two long strides, reached his pack. He pulled out the items he had taken from Sam and handed them to Alison. 'Here - why don't you change into these - you'll feel a lot warmer.' Alison stared at him as though she were having difficulty understanding him, clutching the dry clothes to herself like a security blanket.

'Alison,' Jack spoke gently, placing his hands on her shoulders, bringing her back to the current situation.

'Huh?' Alison looked stupidly at him, holding the clothes up questioningly.

'Dry clothes. Put them on.' Jack spoke slowly and clearly, trying to get through to her. Alison nodded her understanding at last and began to pull off her wet things. Jack turned his attention back to the fire Daniel was building, glancing over to the door after a few minutes to make sure Alison was managing. She was just pulling a t-shirt over her bandaged arm, struggling a little, and Jack cursed silently under his breath as he saw how many bruises covered her back. Daniel, his attention caught by the look on Jack's face, also saw and his face blanched at the sight. Jack looked away again in time to catch Daniel's reaction.

'Daniel?' Jack asked, concern for his friend evident in his voice. Daniel had said he was alright, but after seeing Alison's injuries he couldn't be too sure he'd been told the truth. Daniel had been known to forget to mention some pretty serious injuries on occasions.

'I'm fine Jack, really,' Daniel knew exactly what Jack was asking. 'They hardly touched me. That maniac seemed to take pleasure in using Alison as a punch-bag. I tried to stop them, but there was nothing I could do, Jack.'

'I know you would have done everything you could,' Jack reassured the younger man. 'Sometimes there isn't anything you can do at the time, but you can make up for it after. Anyway, I don't know about you but I'm going to get into some dry gear - I guess I must be getting old or something when the damp makes my knees and back ache.'

'Or something,' Daniel grinned at him as he too quickly changed into dry clothes before bringing Alison closer to the fire, wrapping her in a blanket and using himself as a hot water bottle. Once she stopped shivering, Daniel leant Alison against the wall near the fire while he searched through one of the med kits. Grabbing what he needed, he gave Alison a couple of shots and sat back on his heels when he was done, feeling a hand on his shoulder.

Daniel turned to look up into Jack's face. 'I've given her some antibiotics to help fight the infection and some painkillers. There's not much else we can do until we can get her back to the infirmary.'

They watched Alison's eyes grow heavy and begin to close. Together they helped her lie down, making her as comfortable as they could and she was soon in a deep sleep.

A loud crack of thunder accompanying the sight of the sky lighting up like a Christmas tree caused Jack to grab his radio.

'Carter - you better be on you way back now,' Jack said.

'Yes sir - should be with you in ten.' Sam's breathless voice came in reply before the radio went quiet again.

XOXOXOX

They took turns in keeping watch out of habit. There was no real threat, but you never knew. Half way through Daniel's watch, Alison sat up abruptly.

'I don't know where it is. I don't know. I can't tell you anything. I don't know anything. I don't know…' Alison's voice trailed off as she rocked backwards and forwards, unaware of her surroundings, reliving the ordeal she had gone through. Daniel moved towards her, not wanting to startle her as he recalled her reaction to Jack when caught by surprise.

Another figure joined him.

'Nightmares?' Jack spoke quietly.

'I'd say so,' Daniel replied, equally quietly as he turned back to speak to Alison. 'Alison?' He said, then again, more loudly this time. 'Alison?' Accompanied by a hand on her arm.

Alison started away with a cry of fear before her eyes registered where she was. 'What…?' She managed to mumble out.

'It's ok, just a nightmare, just a nightmare.' Daniel, realising he was not likely to receive a physical injury, moved closer, sitting beside Alison and gathering her into a hug as she began shaking, crying quietly into his chest. Daniel looked at Jack over the top of Alison's head, Jack indicating that he'd take over the watch, leaving Daniel where he was. Jack was well aware how badly Daniel was feeling at being unable to stop Alison from being beaten up and needed this opportunity to make amends in his own way.

Half an hour later Jack could see Daniel lying Alison back down again, testing her forehead with his hand before moving over towards himself.

'I think her fever's getting worse,' Daniel informed him. 'She's burning up and mumbling to herself. We need to get her to the infirmary soon.'

'Well the storm seems to be easing and should be gone before morning. We'll leave as soon as it's light - just as well Carter's smarter than that NID lot.'

Shortly before dawn Jack woke them all up.

'Rise and shine, campers.' He greeted them cheerfully. 'It looks like it's gonna be a beautiful day and it would be such a pity to waste it.'

After a hasty breakfast of energy bars they fashioned a makeshift stretcher for Alison, knowing there was no way would she be able to walk. Her fever appeared to have risen further and she lay still now, her eyes closed and her forehead creased as she relived the nightmare over and over.

They made good time back to the gate and within two hours Alison was handed over to the care of Dr Fraiser and her staff.

XOXOXOX

Two days later, Alison was sitting up in bed. Her fever had broken during the night after giving Dr Fraiser a real fright and she was feeling tired and limp but definitely on the mend. Dr Fraiser had persuaded her to talk about what she had gone through and Alison had found it easy to talk to the doctor, which left her feeling a lot more comfortable about the whole situation. She closed her eyes, finding herself ready to drift off to sleep again when the sound of footsteps stopping by her bed roused her again.

'So - how's the patient?' Jack was saying as he dumped a vase of flowers down on the cabinet.

'Hey, Alison, feeling better?' Daniel asked, smiling at her.

'Yes, thanks.' Alison looked a little uncomfortable as she noticed Jack's slightly swollen nose. 'Er, Colonel, I'm uh, I'm sorry about you know…'

'Nearly breaking my nose?' Jack filled in the gap, grinning as he spoke. 'Hey, no worries. It'll be good as new in no time.'

'That wasn't what you were saying to Dr Fraiser, sir,' Sam smiled at him, recalling the scene with the doctor right after Alison had been settled.

'So, what are your thoughts on working here now?' Jack asked, half expecting to be told that her letter of resignation was already on General Hammond's desk.

Alison appeared to give this some thought. 'Well, the people are ok I guess, and the work is alright. But there is one thing I am concerned about.' Alison looked into the expectant faces of her visitors. 'Is it always this quiet around here? Because if it is I might need to find something a little more interesting, just so I don't get bored.'

'You'll do,' Jack said, patting her shoulder in a paternal gesture, 'you'll do.'

THE END


End file.
